Musculoskeletal Health in the 21^st Century

In July 2015 a multidisciplinary two-day workshop entitled “Musculoskeletal Health in the 21st Century” was organised by the authors at the University of Surrey. The aim of the workshop was to bring together some of the major stakeholders including clinicians, basic scientists and funding bodies to focus on current challenges in musculoskeletal health and discuss current strategies for intervention and disease prevention. Workshop participants discussed and debated the effects of physical activity, body condition, diet and vitamins on the musculoskeletal system, focusing specifically on the synovial joint. The workshop also included sessions on joint health, arthritis prevention through physical activity (including biomechanics of musculoskeletal tissues), effects of diet and nutrition, understanding the underlying physiology and pathophysiology of cartilage and bone, prognostic biomarkers and new insights from genetic diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This Special Supplement of BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders includes a general review article summarising some of the current research in musculoskeletal health and includes abstracts presented at the July 2015 workshop in Surrey.